Card Games

Faro shuffle

A faro shuffle is a card-handling technique where the deck is cut into two equal halves and the cards are interlaced one by one, so they alternate between the two packets.

Also called: weave shuffle, dovetail shuffle ¹
Deck size: defined on a deck of 2n cards split into two piles of n cards ²
Out-faro restores order: eight perfect out-faro shuffles restore a 52-card deck to its original order ³⁴
Randomization: a perfect faro does not fully randomize the deck ¹³

Key points

The deck is cut exactly in half, then the two packets are pushed together so cards fall in alternating order. ¹³
A faro shuffle is a perfect riffle shuffle where the halves interleave card-for-card. ¹²
Magicians use the faro as a controlled sleight; mathematicians treat it as a perfect shuffle permutation model. ¹⁵

How to faro shuffle cards

Hold the deck in one hand and cut it exactly in half, creating two equal piles of 26 cards each.
Align the two piles so the edges are square, then gently push them together so the cards interlace one by one.
If done perfectly, the cards will alternate from each pile; this is a perfect faro. Practice until the interleaving is smooth.

Common questions

How to faro shuffle cards?

Cut the deck exactly in half, hold the two piles with their edges aligned, and push them together so the cards interlace one from each pile. A perfect faro requires the cards to alternate exactly. Magicians often practice the faro shuffle as a controlled sleight for tricks.

Where this term is used

Not the same as

Faro shuffle vs riffle — a faro shuffle is a perfect riffle where the halves interleave card-for-card, while a riffle shuffle is the broader class of interleaving shuffles that may be imperfect

Card games Faro shuffle vs riffle Explains the difference between a perfect faro and an ordinary riffle shuffle. Card games Riffle shuffle The general class of shuffles where two packets are interleaved, not necessarily perfectly. Card games Overhand shuffle A simple shuffle where small packets are taken from the top and dropped onto the other hand. Card games Hindu shuffle A shuffle where the deck is held in one hand and packets are pulled off the top into the other hand. Card games Bridge shuffle A riffle shuffle variant where the cards are bent and released to interlace with a bridge sound. Card games Casino riffle shuffle The standard casino shuffle technique, a riffle shuffle performed with precision and multiple passes.

Sources

Faro shuffle en.wikipedia.org Provides the definition, alternative names, and the fact that a perfect faro does not randomize.
The mathematics of the flip and horseshoe shuffles arxiv.org Supports the mathematical definition of a faro shuffle on a deck of 2n cards.
Shuffling en.wikipedia.org Supports the number of perfect out-faro shuffles needed to restore a 52-card deck.
Farro - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Also supports the eight out-faro figure.
Perfect shuffle en.wikipedia.org Supports the mathematical treatment of perfect shuffle permutations.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.